Hydraulic power-transmitting apparatus for motor vehicles



I -Apl24, 192s. 1,667,565-

C. R. RADCLIFFE HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR MOTORVEHICLES Filed April 24, 1917 3 Sheetsshee- 1 Ap124, 192s. 1,661,565

c.' R. RADCLIFFE HY'DRAULIC -Pownn TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR uo'on VEHICLES Filed Apx -i1 24,. 1917 Sheets-Sheet- 2 X9 i 4 0 Q O 0 fd J9 i f6 J7 ff l go.. 4;` gia i I Ap'il 24, A1928;

c. R. RADCLIFFE lHYDRAULIC*POWER TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR 'MOTOR VEHICLES Filed- April- 24, 1917 3 Sheets-Shea? 3 l INVENTOR f. Wfaaa D ATTORNEY v Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNIT-ED STATES- v CARLTON B. RADCLIFFE,

Ol' NEW YORK, N. Y.; CRESSIDA C. RADCLIFFE EXECC'TBIX F SAID CARLTON B. RADCLIFFE, DECEABED.

HYDRAULIC POWER-TBANSIITTING APPARATUS FOB HOTOB VEHICLES.

Application led April 24, 1917. Serial No. 184,258.

The present invention relates to improvements 1n hydraulic power transmitting apparatus, especially adapted for use in connection with motor vehicles.

b The main objectsV of the invention are to combine the gasoline motor of a vehicle, a hydraulic power transmitting apparatus and a change speed gear in such a manner that, Iirst, a neutral position is provided, ywhere l0 there is no driving'connection between the motor and the wheels of the vehicle, second, an easy means is obtained of'getting into driving connection from said neutral osition while the motor is running, and, t ird, l means are provided whereby, when necessary, an increased torque may be transmitted to the wheels of said vehicle or their motion reversed, and a practical means of accomplishing these results while the motor is i0 running and the vehicle either moving or standing still.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

85 same consists in the combination, arrangement, and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in claims and illustrated 'in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many t0 changes may be made in the size and proportion ofy the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages oftheV invention.

Two of the many ossible embodiments ofv the invention are il ustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1l is a plan view of a hydraulic o power transmitting 'a paratus .combined with a speed gear an the rear axle o a motor vehicle; Fig. 2 is a section taken `on line 2-2 of' Fi 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken through a mo ied apparatus; Fig. 4 is a section taken through a detail of construction; Fig. 5 is a section takenI on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. l hydraulic power transmitting' apparatus. shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings combin so with a s ed gear and the'rear axle of a motor ve 'cle. v

Referring now first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the crank` shaft of a motor vehicle engine, suitably u j ournaled in bearings,one of w 'ch is shown the appended v f shown in Fig.' 1, may

lthe brake band' 25 to 6 is a plan view of the ed tween the primary only and denoted bythe numeral 11. To the shaft is bolted or f otherwise.secured a closed casing 12, in which is disposed a primary wheel 13, in the form of a centrifugal pump impeller, that is shown as bein made integral with the said casing. Wit in the casing is furthermore located a secondary turbine wheel 14, designed like the runner of a turbine. This wheel is juxtaposed to the primary wheel in a manner that the pas- 66` -sages in the two wheels mergeand form the whole circuit in which the actuating liquid circulates. The secondary turbine wheel is attached to a driven shaft 15, that is-journaled in a recessed boss 16 in the casing and in a bearing 17, in alignment with the Said boss. With the driven shaft is associated a change speed gear 18, that is disppsed within a gear box 19. This gear may e of any suitable construction, the one herein disclosed being shown for purposes of illustration only. The means for s ifting the ears of the speed gear for changes iIr speed has not been shown. With the driven member 2O of the change speed gear is connected a differential gear 21 within an axle housing 22, into which reach the inner ends of a floating rear axle 23.

To the driven shaft 15 of the transmission is keyed, or otherwisefixedly attached, a brake drum 24, withV which is'associated a brake band 25, (the means for actuating the latter being not shown).

The casing 12 of the power transmittin apparatus is either part y or wholly fille with a suitable liquid.

AA means for bringing the driven shaft 15 of the transmission to standstill is essential in order that any of the gears ofthe transmission, when in neutral positions as be meshed without This is accomplished by applying the brake drum 24. This brake is used only in going from neutralposition into geared connectlon with the 100 rear wheels and in unmeshing the gears, when the car is not running. This olearation is-necesssary due to the frictional beand secondary tur ine wheels, the slight vcirculation of the acting 105 fluid from the primary whee1-13 to the secondary wheel 14, and also ,the fridion of the stung box, the torque produced. on the shaft 15 causing the counter shaft of the gear box to rotate. This frictional load-has been 110 shock.

in Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, in which the numeral 26 indicates. the crank shaft of the vehicle engine. This shaft is bolted to a fly wheel 27, the inner face 28 of the rim 29 of wh-ich is conical, so as to constitute one of the elements of a clutch. The shaft 26 is provided with a reduced extension 30, upon which is slidably mounted a cup-shaped member 31, that is connected with the casing 32 of the power transmitting apparatus. The casing comprises two oppositely dished ring-shaped members 33 and 34, which are provided at their peripheral portions with flanges 35v and 36, respectively, and are joined2 for instance, by rivets 37, the latter attaching to the said flanges a conicalrim 38, that extends into the liy wheel, and is provided with a clutch lining 39, which is adapted to cooperate with the conical innerface 28 of the rim 29 of the fly wheel. The member 33 of the casing is clamped, for instance, by bolts 40 between a flange 41 upon the cup-shaped member 31 and a ring 42, that is disposed within the casing. In order to maintain the t-wo members of the clutch in engagement, there is' disposed within the cup-shaped member 31 a spring 43, which bears against the said cup-shaped member and `against a ball bearing'44, the latter being also located within the cup-shaped member and held in place upon the reduced eX- tension of the shaft 26 by a nut 45, meshing with the screw-threaded portion 46 of the said extension. A cover 47 closes the cupshaped member 31.

- fork-shaped end of a shifting lever/101.`

To prevent the driven member fromfshift- J 'The section 34 of the casing is drawn over the driven member 48 of the apparatus, and its portion which is drawn over the said driven member is shaped, as clearly shown, at 49, to constitute with the said driven member a stuffing box. .The driven member is in the form of a tubular body, that is rotatably mounted upon the cup-shaped member '31, The outer end of the driven member is shaped for connection with the driven shaft 50', the connection being made preferably by a universal joint, designated y thenumeral 50. On the driven shaft is formed a collar 100, in engagement with the ing longitudinally upon -the cup-sha ed member 31, its inner end is screw-three ed vand in engagement-with a nut 51, bearing against the ring 52 of a ball bearing, the companion ring 53 of which abuts against a flange 54 upon the ring 42 above described. A cover 55 closes the tubular driven member, to prevent entrance of foreign matter between the contacting cylindrical surfaces of the cup 31' and the said driven member. The shaft 50 is connected with the change speed gear 18, the brake drum 24 and brake band 25, shown in Fig. 1 of the adrawings, being omitted. v

Within the casing 32 is formed the primary wheel 32 of the apparatus, inthe form of a centrifugal pump impeller. This wheel includes the ring-shaped section 33 of the casing, which is,as abovedescribed, dished. i Within this ring is disposed a second ring, denoted by the numeral 56, the

latter being properly spaced from the ring 33, thereby forming an annular curvedchannel, which is subdivided into radial'ip'as'sages by blades 57. These blades are straight, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 to 5, inclusiveof the drawings. For the purpose of keeping-the blades properly in place the'jring 56 is provided with radial slots 58,"into Whichfit the said blades. The blades 'ar'. heldin place and the two rings are secured together by a plurality of rivets 59, passing through the said two rings. The secondary turbine wheel is attached to the drivenmember 48, and

.comprises a dished ring 60, within which lis disposed a similarly shaped ring 61, corresponding to the ring 56 of the primary wheel. The blades 62 are held between the two rings in the same manner as those of the primary wheel.

The apparatus is either partly or wholly filled with a suitable liquid, for instance, through nipples 63, which are closed by plugs 64. The primary and secondary wheels, are in the case illustrated, arranged in such a manner that the outlet of the discharge side of the primary wheel fits as closely as possible the admission side of .the secondary wheel, and the outlet ofthe discharge side'of the secondary wheel fits as closely as possible the inlet side of the primary wheel, although this feature is not essential as far as the invention herein described is concerned. It is tobe observed that the flange 65 on the ring 42 completes the circuit in which the actuating liquid flows, the said flange forming a continuation of the section 33 of the casing, and being interposed between the said section and the ring 60 of the secondary wheel. This flange is provided for structural reasons only. The section 33 of the casing could be easily formed so as to make the use of this' flange unnecessary.

The operation of this device is as follows: The spring 43 keeps the two members of the clutch in engagement. If, therefore, rota-v actuating iuid lreceives energy in the pri4 mentioned, an

' transmitting apparatus including a primary mary wheel, which is transmitted to the secondaryturbine wheel, from which the liquid returns "again to the primary wheel. The secondary wheel is thus rotated, power being transmitted to the driven member 48. If it is intended to stop the rotation of the driven member, the casing with the elements therein, is moved against the action ofthe spring 43 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. of the drawings, whereby the two members of the clitch are disengaged, the casing, or lin other words the primary turbine wheel, will-*thus cease to rotate, the result being thatfi the secondary turbine wheel 's ht-,tofa stop.

It is to2, bserved that, while in the embodiments; the. invention herein'described ahydra-v f power transmitting apparatus, echange speed gear and-a differential gearfof-'a particular type has been \ot er constructions may be used without e arting from the invention, which lies main y in combining a hydraulic power transmission and change speed gear with means for bringing the driven'member of the 'transmission to a stop whilefina'ntaining the rotation of the drivingffj'n'em er or engine shaft@` What slola-1m is: l 1. In a motor vehicle, ther combination with the 'engine .ily wheel and. the change speed gear frthe vehicle, ofka hydraulic vpower transmitting apparatus interposed between" said elements, said hydraulic power turbine wheel in the form of a centrifugal pump '.impeller and a secondary .turbine wheel, and. a clutch on said fly wheel and said power transmitting apparatus to cause the -last named `two elements to revolve ytogether or to be free, atwill.

2. In a motor vehic1e,-the combination with the engine y. wheeland the change speed gear of the vehicle, power transmitting apparatus interposed between said elements and and means on said fly heel and said casin for engaging or disengaging, at will, said last named two elements. v

3..'In a motor vehicle, with 4the engine-Hy wheel and the change speed gear' of the vehicle, of ahydraulic power transmitting apparatus interposed be-v tween said elements and including a casing,

the combination a clutch on said fly wheel and said casing,

nd means for shifting said casing and thereby disengaging or engaging, at will, the members vof said clutch. v

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination with the engine' iiy wheel and the change speed-,gear of the vehicle, of a hydraulic power transmitting apparatus interposed between said elements and including a casing, a' clutch on -said ily wheel and saidcasing, and means for 'shifting said power transmittingapparatus and thereby engaging or disengaging, at will, the. members of said clutch.

Signed at'New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,v this 2nd day of March, A. D. 1917.

CARLTON n. ruincLiFm.`

of a hydraulic including a casing, 4 

